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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29876898">Once Upon A Dream</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_glare_you_see/pseuds/the_glare_you_see'>the_glare_you_see</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Six - Marlow/Moss</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Realities, F/F, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Pining, but barely, i guess, no beta we die like men, sorceress!anne, the rest are mentioned lmaoo, waitress!catalina</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 02:35:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,062</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29876898</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_glare_you_see/pseuds/the_glare_you_see</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Spaniard took a wary step back. “I'll ask you again before I call the cops. <em>Who are you?”</em></p>
<p>The woman straightened, bright green eyes burning a hole in her skull. “Anne Boleyn, High Sorceress and Defender of the Queen.” She glanced around at the shining buildings that towered over her and chuckled. “I think I am a long way from home.”</p>
<p>Catalina blinked. Yeah, this woman was definitely crazy.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Anne Boleyn/Catherine of Aragon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>38</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Once Upon A Dream</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/san_shui/gifts">san_shui</a>.</li>


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/21387841">Convenient Arrival</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheshire6845/pseuds/cheshire6845">cheshire6845</a>.
        </li>

    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>i need sleep oml</p>
<p>i apologize for any edits that i might've missed, i legit just rambled</p>
<p>pls feel free to leave comments and kudos bc they make my day</p>
<p>stay safe yall</p>
<p>- Zen</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Today was full of angry customers, leering men who felt <em>way </em>too entitled to everything, and crying children with equally exhausted parents. Ten minutes into her shift, lukewarm coffee had spilled onto her shirt and around the halfway mark, ranch splattered across her skirt which dried in a crusty strip that crunched every time she walked, which did little to help her rapidly thinning patience. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>A typical Friday. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>As Catalina lugged herself home with only the thought of her warm cocoon of blankets and chocolate stash to keep her from collapsing on the spot. Well, <em> that </em>and the crackling bolt of lightning that hit the ground, inches away from where she stood. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The sharp smell of ozone lingered in the air and her ears rang. She spied a shape moving on the ground and screamed. It looked inhuman, an almost shapeless blob-like form that twisted and writhed on the ground. She found herself unable to move as it rose up, only for the blob shape to fall against a clearly feminine figure.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>(Apparently, it was just a robe. A really fancy robe by the looks of it that would cost more than what Catalina made in an entire year.)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The woman whirled around and her robe billowed out behind her, making for a very dramatic silhouette. Her bright green eyes zeroed in on Catalina and the waitress gulped. A relieved smile spread across the woman’s face.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Catalina,” she breathed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The waitress blinked and fumbled for her phone as the woman stepped forward. “Who are you?” she asked.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The woman froze. “Well, you're obviously not <em> my </em>Catalina if that glare is anything to go by.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em> Her </em> Catalina?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The Spaniard took a wary step back. “I'll ask you again before I call the cops. <em> Who are you?” </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>The woman straightened, bright green eyes burning a hole in her skull. “Anne Boleyn, High Sorceress and Defender of the Queen.” She glanced around at the shining buildings that towered over her and chuckled. “I think I am a <em> long </em>way from home.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Catalina blinked. Yeah, this woman was definitely crazy.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>----</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Catalina never said that she made good decisions. If she was, she would be home, curled up in her favorite sweats and hoodie, fast asleep with some podcast playing on in the background. <em> Alone. </em> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Instead, she found herself offering a very confused, self-proclaimed sorceress a place to stay the night. (Some misplaced goodwill that she is <em> sure </em> she will regret in the morning.) The Spaniard trudged home, confused sorceress in tow, and tried not to think about how this would all come back to bite her in the ass.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Here we are,” Catalina said, once she shouldered the door open. “Bathroom is down the hall, to the right, the kitchen is right there, do<em> not </em> touch the chocolate strawberries unless you want to lose your hands. I’ll get you a change of clothes and some blankets and you can crash on the couch.” She stopped and glanced at Anne. The woman was frozen at the entrance as her eyes darted around. “I know it isn’t much but it’s home,” Catalina added, the strange desire to defend her living space leaping forward. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Anne shook her head. “No it’s absolutely perfect,” she replied. “I cannot thank you enough for your hospitality.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Catalina shrugged. “It’s nothing,” she replied. Anne smiled at her and her green eyes sparkled as if she knew something Catalina didn’t. Catalina nodded and looked away. “Right, I’ll just get you some stuff so you can get settled in.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She hurried over to her room, grabbed the first set of pajamas (really they were just a t-shirt and flannel pants) and the two spare pillows she had lying around. She stopped and took a deep breath. This was fine. She just let some crazy lady who just <em>appeared </em>in front of her into her apartment but this was fine.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Catalina nodded to herself and marched out the door, only to find Anne already fast asleep on the couch. She set the pillows and pajamas on the nearby table and slung the throw blanket over her.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>----</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Beep beep beep beep— </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Catalina scrunched her nose and rolled over. She tugged her blanket over her head and flung her hand out. She felt the cool case of her phone against her palm and she squinted at it. The alarm had not gone off. Catalina blinked sleepily. <em> ...what? </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Beep beep beep— </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Her eyes widened. Was that <em>smoke? </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>She flung herself out of bed and yanked her door open. A dark haze of smoke met her face and she coughed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What. The. Fuck.” she said. She could see that the smoke came from the kitchen. <em> My strawberries! </em> She tugged the collar of her shirt over her mouth and rushed forward.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What the hell are you doing?” she screamed. Anne whirled around and raised her hands in surrender.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It wasn’t my fault!” she exclaimed. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Catalina gaped at her guest as she flicked the stove off and shoved the pan under running water. “Go open the windows,” she ordered as she grabbed a cloth. She dragged a chair under the smoke alarm and clambered onto it as Anne shoved the windows open. Finally, the alarm stopped beeping and Catalina collapsed onto the chair.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Please explain why you felt the need to almost burn my apartment down.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Anne shrugged, a sheepish smile on her face. “I wanted to thank you for the hospitality by making breakfast but I fear that I might have miscalculated.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Catalina dropped her head back and covered her eyes. “Ok, please just stay away from the stove. You can thank me by not burning my place down.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Anne nodded, still by the open window. “Noted,” she replied.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>----</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Truthfully, this was not how Catalina wanted to spend her day off. She had chocolate-covered strawberries (they survived the breakfast disaster), ice cream, and a new nature documentary series all set up for her to binge. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>But <em>no. </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Here she was, on her hands and knees, cursing quietly under her breath, crawling through the underbrush of the nearby woods, looking for <em>mushrooms </em>of all things, because Anne had fixed her with such a look of desperation she couldn’t find it in herself to say no.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Curse her for having a bleeding heart and a longing for adventure. Even if the adventure meant crawling around on the ground in the bright sun.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What am I looking for again?” she called, ready to call it a day. Her back ached and the palms of her hands were caked in mud. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“These!” Anne exclaimed, triumphantly holding up a handful of mushrooms. She plopped down onto the ground and squinted at them. “Yes, these should be enough.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Catalina pushed herself to her feet and stretched, groaning in satisfaction when her back popped. She dusted her hands off as well as she could and held a hand out to Anne. The woman took it and hopped to her feet.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’ll get the portal up and running in no time,” she said.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Yeah. Completely insane. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>----</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“So what are you doing?” Catalina asked, from where she was splayed out on the couch. Anne glanced up from where she was carefully painting runes (with Catalina’s permission, of course) onto the windowsill. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“These are runes for safe travel, transport, and protection,” she replied, dipping her finger into the paste and carefully printing another one. “And reparation, so that your window isn’t destroyed by the portal.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Catalina nodded, choosing not to comment on the sheer absurdness of this entire situation. Anne set her mixture aside and stood. She shook out her robe and raised her arms, eyes focused on the window in front of her. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “Novae terrae, aperta ianua. Mitte me domum meam.” </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Anne inhaled deeply and repeated the words, growing stronger with each repetition, until she was almost shouting. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Nothing happened.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Huh,” Anne said as she lowered her hands. “That… usually works.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em> “Right,” </em> Catalina said. Anne huffed and shot her an annoyed look.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Your world seems to have no magic,” she responded. “I guess I should have tested that before we went hunting for mushrooms.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Wait so I <em> didn’t </em> have to sacrifice the better part of my day to your foraging expedition?” Catalina asked. “Unbelievable.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Anne continued on like she hadn’t heard her. “No worries, I’m sure Katherine and the others are already working on finding me. I hope.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Catalina frowned. “Katherine?” she asked as she craned her neck to look at the so-called-sorceress.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Anne waved her hand dismissively as her gaze remained fixed on the supplies in front of her. “My cousin. Kitty, as I like to call her, although she’d smite anyone else— except Cathy but they’re both so devoted to each other it’s really no surprise—”<br/><br/></p>
<p>“Boleyn,” Catalina interrupted with a slight chuckle. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Anne flashed her a sheepish grin. “Sorry. But yes. She’s my cousin and a powerful sorceress in her own right. I taught her everything she knows.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Such as failed portals?” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Anne huffed and squinted at her. “You and my Catalina are very similar,” she mused. “I wonder if there’s a version of me running around here.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>----</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“So where are you from?” Catalina asked. The tv played softly in the background and she cradled her container of chocolate-covered strawberries close. Anne shifted, now decked out in the pajamas Catalina had provided her with and half wrapped in a blanket. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Teuvrane,” she replied. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That’s cool,” Catalina replied, “Never heard of it.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Anne laughed softly. “It is a land with trees as tall as the sky and waters as clear as crystal. Catalina, <em> my </em> Catalina is the queen and she rules with a fair and just hand.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Catalina took another bite of her strawberries as Anne spoke, hanging onto every word. She learned about Anna, the brave Knight, who rode into battle and led their people to victory, and Jane, the renowned Healer, who made it her life's mission to find and document every cure for every illness known to man. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>She learned about Katherine, the Sorceress, second only to Anne herself, whose skills laid more in Mathemagics and theoretical aspects than practical application, and Cathy, the Archivist who documented stories, artifacts, anything one could think of and happily educated those who wished to learn about their history. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>She learned about Catalina, <em> Anne’s </em>Catalina, with golden eyes and a crooked smile. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>(“Her real smile,” Anne said with a fond laugh. “We rarely get to see it.”) </p>
<p> </p>
<p>She learned about the queen who refused to let her people fight alone while she hid in the castle and took up sword lessons with Anna so that she would be able to hold her own. She learned about the queen who never raised her voice at her subjects and only needed to cast one stern look in order for them to listen.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And, after much prompting, she learned about Anne. Anne the Sorceress, who was born in poverty with nary a penny to her name. Who mercilessly clawed her way to the top, trampling anyone in her path. Anne, the one who would play in the fields when no one was watching and make flower crowns for the princess, who had managed to catch her eye. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>(“This was before she was queen,” Anne said. “I told her it was practice for the real thing and she played along.”)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Anne, who almost overthrew the king before her Catalina managed to convince her to stop and that once <em>she </em>was queen, they could work for a better future together.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>(And maybe, as Catalina listened to these stories and watched as Anne grew more and more animated, gesturing wildly with her hands as if she could paint her memories into the air,  she began to fall.)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>----</p>
<p> </p>
<p>(It was very inconvenient and rather rude of her feelings to appear like that.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>What was she supposed to do? </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Pine her life away?)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>----</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As the days wore on, Catalina could see the hope in Anne’s eyes begin to fade. It had been nearly a week with no sign of anyone and Catalina felt the worry creep in. Anne tried to hide it behind jokes and smiles but to no avail.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Are you alright?” Catalina asked, settling on the ground before her. Anne looked up, seeming surprised that there was another person with her.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” she replied. Catalina raised a brow and Anne scowled. “Even here you’re ridiculously perceptive.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“To be fair, you’re not being very subtle about your sulking,” Catalina pointed out. She gestured around at the little nest Anne had made herself and the sorceress sighed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m just not used to sitting around and waiting,” she replied. “I don’t know what to do with myself.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You could think of this as a vacation,” Catalina suggested. “A nice break before you go back to your busy palace life?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hm, maybe.” Anne flashed her a weak smile. “We’ll see.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>----</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Can you hand me the pepper?” Catalina asked, pointing at the cupboard. Anne rooted around for a few seconds before turning to her with a confused frown.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I don’t see it anywhere.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What?” Catalina turned the heat down and stepped over, squeezing next to Anne. “It’s right there.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She pulled the pepper down from where it was hidden behind the Italian Seasoning and turned. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Oh, she had miscalculated the distance. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>They were close, <em> impossibly </em>close. Close enough that Catalina could smell the minty toothpaste Anne borrowed and feel the soft puffs of her breath against her face. Without any thought as to what she was doing, she leaned in. She heard Anne inhale sharply before the sorceress gently pushed her away. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m sorry.” Anne’s voice was soft. Catalina kept her eyes shut, to hold back the unnecessary tears that had appeared, and shook her head.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“No I’m sorry,” she replied. “I’m not your Catalina.” She inhaled shakily and opened her eyes. Anne was standing a few steps away from her, a sympathetic look on her face. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You’re not.” The sorceress picked up her hand and pressed a gentle kiss to her knuckles. “But one day you will find your other half here. It just cannot be me.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Catalina laughed wetly, taking her hand back and pressing it against her eyes. “She better treat you well,” the waitress replied, “or I will have words with her.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Believe me,” Anne said, her tone wistful and so full of adoration it <em> hurt, </em> “she does.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Catalina turned back to the stove, pepper in hand, and didn’t speak again until she had placed the plates on the table.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>----</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It happened like this:</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A bolt of light, not unlike when Anne first appeared, struck the windowsill. Anne whooped, already tugging on her robe as Catalina stared blankly at the purple flames that were licking her window. A young woman, draped in a robe similar to Anne’s, carefully stepped through the flames, scanning the room before landing on Anne. Before Catalina could open her mouth to say anything, the woman barreled into Anne’s arms. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You idiot!” she exclaimed, whacking Anne on the back of her neck. “This is why you don’t mess around with my stuff!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Excuse you, I was merely <em>organizing </em>your mess,” Anne replied, arms still firmly wrapped around her.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The woman rolled her eyes. “What you call a <em> mess, </em> I call organized chaos.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Anne laughed. “I missed you, Kitty.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I missed you too, idiot.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>So <em>this </em>was Katherine. Catalina tilted her head as the two turned towards her.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Kitty, this is Catalina. Catalina, this is my cousin, Katherine.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Catalina said. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Katherine grinned. “Likewise. Thank you for taking care of my disaster of a cousin.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It’s no problem,” Catalina replied. “She was good company.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Where’s Lina?” Anne asked, turning to her cousin. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Katherine shrugged. “Probably in a meeting. I didn’t have time to notify anyone when I got the portal to work so this will be a nice surprise. Are you ready to head back?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Anne nodded rapidly then froze, glancing over at Catalina, who was suddenly very interested in the floor. “Just give me a moment?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Of course.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Anne walked over, nudging her shoulder and raising a brow. “Hey,” she said. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Catalina forced herself to meet Anne’s eyes. “So this is it, then?” she asked. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Anne nodded. “I wanted to thank you for everything that you’ve done. You made what could have easily been a terrible stay pleasant and I cannot thank you enough for that.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Catalina rolled her eyes. “Oh shut up,” she muttered. “It was nothing.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Anne chuckled and drew her into a hug. “Sincerely, thank you,” she whispered. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Catalina hugged her tightly, biting back her tears. “I’ll miss you but don’t come back,” she said, pulling away. “I don’t think the kitchen would enjoy another Breakfast incident.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“No, I don’t suppose it would,” Anne replied. The sorceress pressed a gentle kiss to her knuckles and stepped back, nodding at Katherine. Her cousin waved once before hopping through. Anne turned around once more and smiled. “Goodbye, Catalina.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Catalina raised her hand as Anne stepped through the portal. It shuddered once, then disappeared, the only evidence of anything happening were the runes that were now burned into the wood. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Goodbye…” she replied to the empty room, wincing at the way her voice echoed. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>----</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She trudged to work the next morning, already dreading the shift ahead of her. She noticed someone new at the counter, with a very familiar profile. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Anne?” she asked. Her eyes must be playing tricks on her because the sorceress was long gone. The woman at the counter turned to her with a surprised smile.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> I wonder if there’s a version of me running around here. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Anne’s voice echoed in her head and she shook it off.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That’s me!” the woman replied, tilting her head. “How do you know my name?” Catalina flushed and glanced around, zeroing in on her nametag.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It’s, um, on your nametag.” The brunette looked down in surprise and laughed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh right! Not used to that yet.” Catalina inched closer to the counter and Anne looked up. “Well, since you know my name it’s only fair I know yours.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It’s Catalina,” she replied. Anne grinned.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Well, Catalina,” she said, offering a hand. Catalina took it. “It’s lovely to meet you.” She leaned closer. “This may sound strange but I feel like I’ve met you before. Maybe in another life?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Catalina flushed. “Once upon a dream?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Anne grinned, slowly releasing her hand. “Once upon a dream indeed.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>----</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>ok i think ive satisfied the updating/posting muse monster thing that lives in my brain for now</p>
<p>scream at me on tumblr: <a href="https://judging-seahorse.tumblr.com/">@judging-seahorse</a></p>
<p>lmao okie baii</p></blockquote></div></div>
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